ASILIMENI MASWATI – Episode 11 | Nokwanda Nxumalo’s Commercial Herb Empire 🌿

In this powerful episode of Asilimeni Maswati (Let’s Farm, Fellow Emaswati), we travel to Mahlanya to meet Nokwanda Nxumalo, the founder of Fresh Leaf Farm—one of Eswatini’s most recognisable youth-led commercial herb enterprises. What began in 2019 as a modest backyard herb garden during a period of unemployment has grown into a disciplined, data-driven agribusiness supplying parsley, coriander and mint to major retailers, hotels and restaurants across the country. At Fresh Leaf Farm, agriculture is not guesswork—it is strategy. Nokwanda shares how market research, buyer engagement, cost analysis and climate-smart production guide every decision from seed selection to harvest timing. Her story proves that farming, when treated as a serious business, can be profitable, scalable and transformative. Beyond the fields, Nokwanda’s leadership has taken her to continental platforms, including the African Food Systems Forum in Senegal and the Africa Digital Agriculture Conference at the African Union in Addis Ababa, where innovation, data and youth leadership were central to discussions on Africa’s food future. Her impact has earned her national recognition, including being crowned Youth Female Farmer of the Year at the Woman Farmer Foundation Competition, an award that amplified her voice, expanded her networks and accelerated her growth. In this episode, Nokwanda speaks candidly about: • Starting with limited resources and big vision • Building markets one client at a time • Why data matters in modern farming • The role of youth and women in Africa’s agricultural transformation • Treating agriculture as both service and business This is not just a farming story—it is a lesson in courage, consistency and systems thinking. 🎥 Watch, learn and be inspired.